Green Book

So I wanted to see what kind of movie blew my Oscar favorites away. If it wasn't for that, it probably would have passed me by and by next year I wouldn't even remember they ever made anything like it. So thank you, Oscars! Green Book entertained me from the very beginning to the very end. Largely because of the subject matter and the actors, and also because I have a soft spot for movies about true friendship. And this one moved me incredibly deeply. 2018 has brought me some great films, this one being one of them. It's beautiful, 5 stars. (04/05/2019)

An easygoing road-movie with strong characters (Mortensen steals the show), a convincing period atmosphere, and dialogues that don’t hurt, at least to watch once. But the “conflict” that the film offers is so unoriginal and fake that it buries the quality of the whole lot. The development of Tony’s racist views are almost invisible and the script is basically a series of stops at moral clichés and shoddy motifs (the cop on the road, the “white” restaurant). There was potential and I can praise Farrelly for the fact that I rooted for protagonists, but that’s not enough to make an above-par social drama. 60% (25/01/2019)

"Driving Mr. Mahershala"? Too bad that Viggo had to fight Rami Malek for the Oscar, as the jury couldn’t give it to anyone else but Rami. Here, Viggo put on a remarkable performance, just like in Eastern Promises. Mahershala is also great. The movie itself, however, is a dime-a-dozen Hollywood template, with a good heart and gorgeous narrative but without a hint of filmmaking inventiveness. (06/03/2019)

This is a pleasant Christmas fairy tale. This type of drama-comedy, where two people from different walks of life are forced to learn from each other and rethink their attitudes, is probably always a sure-fire hit. It seems quite superficial and there is no real drama in the whole movie, however, it is still an all-around positive and relaxing movie with the great Viggo Mortensen, whose third Oscar nomination I would like to finally change into an actual award. (07/02/2019)

If American Beauty offered a sophisticated, often subtle and graceful critique of the American middle class, Green Book, in a similarly bittersweet vein, presents the issues of racism in 1960s America, unassumingly, without relying on pathos, witty and with just enough insight. Viggo Mortensen dominates with his De Niro accent and redneck diction, Ali got the Oscar because he's black. For a film that is mostly about the interaction of two characters, it is brisk, fresh and entertaining. (04/03/2019)